vintage quilts

I have been working on expanding on that idea by turning scrap cutter quilts into wearable art…more specifically I wanted to see if I couldn’t turn these scraps into bracelets.

I’m a little embarrassed to say that each step took a little bit of refining until I was able to get a consistent result with each one that I tried. I almost threw in the towel a few times, but the time wasted and each failed attempt just made me even more determined to make it work.

My first fail was cutting the strip for the bracelet. I didn’t take into account the quilting stitches on the quilt. Quilting stitches hold a top, middle and bottom layer together. When I cut a small strip, it basically peeled apart in large areas. Stitching on vintage quilts is also unreliable. There were areas where the seams came apart. AARGH!

My fix for those problems was to top stitch over the surface of a scrap of quilt. I emptied a spool of thread while meandering in a scribble design.

I was then able to cut my bracelet strips without them falling apart.

The next step was getting the words onto the strip. I decided to use my character stitches on my sewing machine. That worked the first couple of times and then…AARGH! Old quilts can be kinda lumpy and my machine didn’t want to stitch the tiny letters over the lumps. I finally tried stitching the words on muslin. Eureka!

I then stitched the the muslin to the strip in my favorite shabby way.

If you want to try this and you don’t have character stitches on your machine I also tried it with stamps as an alternative.

I embellished around the words with little pearl beads.

The next failure was the buttonhole. Yep, for the same reason the character stitches didn’t want to stitch…those !@#$% lumps. AARGH!

Deep breath. I was not going to let this project beat me!

Light bulb! I finally had good luck with a button/loop closure. Elastic cord formed the loop.

With the bracelet strip placed on canvas fabric and the knot of the loop inserted under one end, I stitched around the edges of the bracelet a couple of times. Just like the shabby tags, I didn’t stitch perfect lines.

After stitching the canvas backing to the bracelet I trimmed the excess away and added a button to complete the closure function.

I love adding country or shabby chic accessories to my home, and my local customers seem to like anything that is made from old chenille bedspreads or vintage quilts. This is a great project for using up bits and pieces of various trinkets and lace to create a one-of-a-kind decoration. Minimal sewing is needed.

Step 1
Cut a 5 1/4-inch wide by 9-inch-long rectangle from card stock. Fold the card stock in half, matching the long edges. Filling the whole half, draw half of an elongated heart on the card stock, with the center edge of the heart against the folded edge. Cut out the heart half through both layers. The unfolded heart is your pattern.

Step 2
Lay two layers of a white chenille bedspread or two layers of vintage quilt scraps on your work surface with the right sides facing each other. Place the heart pattern on the layers and trace around it with a marking pin. Remove the pattern. Pin the fabric layers together within the lines of the heart. Do not cut out.

Step 3
Sew around the heart on the traced line. Leave a 2-inch opening on the heart. Cut out the heart 1/4-inch outside the stitched line. Clip the crease in between the heart’s bumps and cut off the heart’s point to eliminate bulk.

Step 4
Turn the heart right side out. Fill the heart with stuffing and hand sew the opening closed.

The next steps are what I did to get the results you see in the photos. There is no need to follow them exactly. Interpreting your own ideas into the design is half the fun.

Step 5
Choose a bit of doily or flat lace approximately 3-4 inches square. Apply craft glue to the back and arrange on the heart below the left bump.

Step 6
Trace a 6-inch circle on an old tissue dress pattern using a compass. Cut out the circle. Thread a sewing needle with double strands of thread. Knot the end. Fold over 1/4 inch along the edge of the circle. Sew one running stitch approximately 1/4 inch long. Insert the needle back through the gap above the knot. This will lock the stitch and prevent the knot from tearing through the paper.

Step 7
Continue to fold 1/4 inch around the edge as you sew running stitches. When you have reached the knot at the beginning, place the circle on your work surface with the folded edges facing up. Carefully pull the thread, gathering the circle closed. Flatten the closed circle with the gathered opening in the center to form a yo yo. Tack the center of the yo yo through to the back. Cut the thread.

Step 8
Apply glue to the back of the yo yo. Place the yo yo over the lace on the heart.

Step 9
Arrange and glue chosen buttons, beads and a small flower to the paper yo yo. Allow the glue to dry.

If desired, insert the point of the heart in a wide-topped bed spring. There is no need to secure it, but if you wish, tack the back of the heart to the spring with a couple of stitches.

Not all bed springs are the same. Bed springs with a narrow top will not work for this project. No problem. Simply make several hearts as decorative bowl fillers or to set on a shelf.

For 2013 I am embracing the phrase “You never know if you don’t ask.”…So, if you enjoyed this post and this blog, would you consider following this blog?

These bed spring Santas were inspired by a client and previous bedspring characters I have made. In addition to the bed spring, a chenille bedspread was also repurposed. The client purchased several and I made many more for last weekend’s craft show. They sold very well.
The tutorial can be found on Thrifty Fun.Santa Made from Recycled Bedspread and Bed Spring

I had previously posted my sweater ornament tutorial on Restyled Junk. You can find it here.
The next photos are of more projects in progress that I made for my last craft show. The tutorials are in different stages of completeness. When published, I will post the links.
Vintage Quilt Ornaments
Salt Shaker Angels
Bed Spring Snowmen
Stuffed Fabric Christmas Stars
The center stars were cut from an old crocheted tablecloth.

Sheet Music Medallion Ornament

Lastly, I want to show you what hubs made.

The back is a queen headboard and the sides are from the matching foot board. It sold at this last weekend’s craft show.